Salvia plant named ‘Pretty in Pink’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of perennial  Salvia  plant named ‘Pretty in Pink’ characterized by its very large deep purplish pink flowers from deep purplish-red buds, densely arranged in verticils. The new plant has a compact habit with stiff, upright, heavily-branched stems showing slight dark greyed-purple tinting and persistent calyxes of similar dark greyed-purple tinting, a strong vigorous growth rate and gray-green foliage.

Botanical denomination: Salvia pratensis.

Cultivar designation: ‘Pretty in Pink’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of ornamental sage plant hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ or as the new plant. The new plant was selected as a single seedling from an open pollination in late spring of 2013 with ‘Pink Dawn’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,343 as the female or seed parent and the male parent is unknown but may have been any sage from a large number of other hybrids and selected cultivars within the breeding area of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant was initially evaluated in the summer of 2014 and assigned the breeder code 13-10-1 through the trial process.

The new Salvia was further evaluated and asexually propagated by basal cuttings taken at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA in 2014. Evaluation of these and further cutting grown plants shows that Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ continues to be stable and produce true to type plants in successive generations of asexual propagation.

No plants of Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which may have been disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, nutrition and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ can be closely compared to Salvia ‘Sweet 16’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,312 and Salvia ‘Pink Dawn’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,343. ‘Sweet 16’ has flowers that are a stronger reddish purple than the new plant. Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ can also be compared to Salvia ‘Pink Dawn’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,343, Salvia ‘Eveline’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,905, ‘Pink Friesland’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,152 and ‘Sweet 16’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,312. Salvia ‘Eveline’ is slightly taller and has flowers of a lighter purplish pink. The stems and calyxes of ‘Pink Dawn’ are much darker pigmented with greyed-purple than the new plant, the flowers are darker, deep, purplish pink and the habit is smaller than the new plant. ‘Pink Friesland’ has a shorter habit and smaller flowers of a stronger purplish red than the new plant. The new plant can also be compared to Salvia ‘Endless Love’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,707 which has a Salvia verticillata background and flowers on whorled scapes that are more purple and less pink and smaller in size than the new plant.

The following characteristics in combination distinguish Saliva ‘Pretty in Pink’ as a new and distinct cultivar from all other cultivars known to the inventor:

-   -   1. Very large deep purplish pink flowers densely arranged in         verticils;     -   2. Stiff, upright, heavily-branched stems with slight dark         greyed-purple tinting;     -   3. Deep purplish-red flower buds;     -   4. Compact, rounded, strong, vigorous and winter-hardy habit;     -   5. Rugose gray-green foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits and the overall appearance of Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plant used in the photographs was a two-year old plant grown in an open, full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer when needed. Plant growth regulators have been used in greenhouse grown trials only.

FIG. 1 shows the plant habit in full flower in a landscape.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower scape with the buds, flowers, stems and calyxes.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references except where common dictionary terms are used are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and plant maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year old plants growing in an outdoor full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and greenhouse forced two-year old plants. Plants were given supplemental water and fertilizer and plant growth regulators were used for the greenhouse trials only.

-   Botanical classification: Salvia pratensis (Linnaeus); -   Parentage: Female or seed parent ‘Pink Dawn’; unknown male or pollen     parent; -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial; multi-stemmed,     compact, rounded, with mostly basal foliage, and flowers in several     tightly arranged verticils on branched upright racemes displayed     above foliage; in flower with panicles about 60 cm tall and about 65     cm wide at the fullest point; foliage extends up the stems about 28     cm and 52 cm wide below foliage; -   Propagation: By basal vegetative shoot cuttings; time to produce a     rooted stems about two weeks; -   Growth rate: Rapid, vigorous, finishing in a 65 mm container in     about 7 weeks from rooted cutting, and from 65 mm container to     flowering 3.8 liter container in about 8 weeks. -   Root description: Fine, well-branched; color dependent on age and     soil type, from cream to dark tan in color; -   Foliage: Opposite, simple, rugose, lanceolate; margin crenulate;     glabrous and matte abaxial and adaxial surfaces; acute apex and base     cordate to auriculate with lobes frequently overlapping; leaf blades     about 16.5 cm long and 8.0 cm across, decreasing in size distally;     average about 12.5 cm long and 5.4 cm across; faint sage fragrance; -   Foliage color: Adaxial surface between RHS 138A and RHS 138B;     abaxial surface nearest RHS 146B; -   Venation: Reticulate; impressed on adaxial side and costate on     abaxial side; pubescent abaxial, puberulent adaxial; -   Vein color: Adaxial midrib variable, nearest RHS 145C in shaded     areas and proximally more gray than RHS 185D and more purple than     either RHS N187C or RHS N187B with more intense light; adaxial     primary and secondary veins nearest RHS 145C toward midrib and     gradually darkening to between RHS 138A and RHS 138B; abaxial midrib     nearest RHS 145C with blushing nearest RHS N186C concentrated     proximally in leaves with more intense light; abaxial primary veins     nearest RHS 145C and secondary veins gradually darkening to nearest     RHS 146C toward leaf margin; -   Petiole: Concavo-convex; pubescent abaxial and along margin,     sparsely puberulent adaxial; to about 9.5 cm long and 6.0 mm wide,     average 5.5 cm long and 4.0 mm wide at base; -   Petiole color: Adaxial and abaxial surfaces nearest 146D with     proximally concentrated blushing of RHS N186C; -   Flower description: Perfect, bilabiate, verticillate with flowering     generally beginning at lower verticils and advancing up the scape,     but not all flowers at each verticil opening at the same time giving     the effect of a scape being in continuous flower for longer periods;     average distance between verticils about 14.0 mm, greater proximally     and less distally; with midline projected about 10 degree angle     above horizontal and hood petal about 45 degree angle above     horizontal; self-cleaning, petals not persistent; flowering     beginning late spring for about six weeks and repeating if initial     scapes removed; -   Flower longevity: About four days on the plant or as cut flower; -   Fragrance: None detected under present growing conditions; -   Flower buds one to two days prior to anthesis: Shape is rounded on     top and slightly concave below, with rounded apex; pubescent; about     11.0 mm long, 5.0 mm tall and 3.0 mm wide; -   Bud color: Exposed petals nearest RHS 71A; abaxial calyx nearest RHS     138A with veins and blushing on dorsal portion nearest RHS 187B; -   Flowers: Bilabiate corolla with arcuate hooded upper lip and     tri-lobed lower lip; about 2.4 cm long, 14.0 mm tall and 8.0 mm wide     fused into tube in the proximal 8.0 mm; clustered at verticils with     about six flowers per verticil; -   Petals: Bilabiate corolla; upper hood petal and flattened side to     side vertically, with notched apex and base fused with labium; -   Hood (upper) petal: Minutely pubescent outside, glabrous inside;     about 20.0 mm long, 10.0 mm tall and 3.0 mm across; -   Labium (lower) petal: Consisting of three lobes, two proximal lobes     about 3.0 mm long and 3.0 mm wide at base with rounded apex; center     lobe emarginate, about 5.0 mm long 7.0 mm wide with a 2.0 mm apical     notch in middle; center lobe slightly concaved upwards; total labium     about 15.0 mm long, 8.0 mm wide at the widest portion across lobes     and 5.0 mm tall; -   Petal color: Abaxial and adaxial hood petal nearest RHS N74C; lower     labium petal abaxial nearest RHS N75B and adaxial between RHS 77B     and RHS 77A; fused basal 2.0 mm inside calyx nearest RHS NN155D; -   Androecium: Two, fused with labium, contained within hood petal     except when triggered by pollinator;     -   -   Filament.—Glabrous, fused about 7.0 mm from base of labium             petal; curved around inside of hood petal; about 12.0 mm             long and less than 0.5 mm diameter with a 2.0 mm trip             mechanism at base; color of base nearest RHS 77D,             mid-portion lighter than RHS 84D and blend of lighter than             RHS 77D and RHS 84D in distal region before stamen.         -   Anther.—Glabrous, oblong, about 3.0 mm long and 1.0 mm             diameter; longitudinal, dorsifixed; color nearest RHS N187A.         -   Pollen.—Abundant; globose; less than 0.1 mm circumference;             color nearest RHS 12A. -   Gynoecium: One, curved around inside of hood petal;     -   -   Style.—About 24.0 mm long and less than 0.5 mm diameter;             color nearest RHS NN155D and darkening distally about 5.0 mm             before stigma split to nearest RHS 77A.         -   Stigma.—Bifurcate and curved in the terminal 2.0 mm; apex             pointed; color nearest RHS 77A.         -   Ovary.—Superior; color more green than RHS 145A and more             yellow than RHS 138B. -   Fruit: Nutlet, one to four per flower; rounded, about 1.5 mm     diameter; color darker than RHS 200A; -   Calyx: Five sepals, three upper and two lower, campanulate, apex     acute; fused in basal 4.0 mm; tube about 7.0 mm long and 6.0 mm tall     at mouth and 3.0 mm wide; lower set bifurcate in terminal 2.5 mm;     upper set of trifurcate in distal 1.0 mm; -   Calyx color: Variable with light intensity, abaxial bases and     regions in little direct sunlight nearest RHS 145A with veins of     nearest RHS 138A, abaxial regions receiving more intense light     developing tinting nearest RHS 187A to a blend of RHS N187 and RHS     187A; adaxial between RHS 146D and RHS 146C with darker veins of RHS     137A toward apex; -   Bracts: Each verticil subtended by two opposite nearly cordate     bracts; apex acuminate, base truncate, margin entire and ciliolate;     coarsely wavy to bent downward toward apex; margin minutely     pubescent, and glabrous above and below; bract size up to 12.0 mm     long and 8.0 mm wide, decreasing distally; -   Bract color: Variable with light intensity, in less light abaxial     and adaxial surfaces nearest RHS 138A with midrib and base nearest     RHS 145C; color with more intense light between RHS N186C and RHS     N186C on both surfaces; -   Peduncles: Raceme; quadrangular in base cross section; about 20 per     plant; strong; upright; to about 60 cm tall and 5.0 mm across;     puberulent to glandular; branches in lower two to four nodes,     upright at 50 degrees above horizontal or greater; branches to about     24.0 cm long and 3.0 mm across; average internode distance about 5.0     cm; -   Peduncle color: Between RHS 138A and RHS 138B; -   Pedicels: Cylindrical; puberulent to glandular; about 1.5 mm long     and 0.5 mm diameter; puberulent to glandular; nearly horizontal at     flower anthesis; -   Pedicel color: Variable with light intensity, ventral portion     between RHS 146C and RHS 146D with lower light exposure; nearest RHS     N187A in dorsal portions with intense light; -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of Salvia ‘Pretty in Pink’     perform best with adequate moisture and good drainage and are hardy     from USDA zone 3 to 8. Resistant to diseases and pests beyond that     common to Salvia has not been noted. 

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct perennial Salvia plant named ‘Pretty in Pink’ as herein described and illustrated useful for landscaping as a specimen plant, en masse or as a cut flower. 